DEALS

Tribune endorsements for St. Petersburg primary

Published: August 25, 2013

Voters in St. Petersburg will go the polls Tuesday to vote on the mayoral race, three council seats and a referendum on the future of the proposed Lens design to replace the existing pier. If no candidate for mayor wins more than 50 percent of the vote, the two candidates with the most votes will meet in a runoff Nov. 5.

The top two candidates for each of the council seats will meet in a runoff Nov. 5 to decide those races.

The vote Tuesday for the Lens design will decide whether that project moves forward.

The Tribune recommends:

For Mayor: Bill Foster. He’s presiding over a construction boom downtown, clamped down on panhandlers and has the backing of law enforcement and the chamber.

For District 4: Darden Rice. She will be an informed proponent of a mass transit system and wants something simpler than the Lens to replace the existing pier.

For District 6: Karl Nurse. He is working to rid neighborhoods of foreclosed homes and wants to better define the uses a replacement for the existing pier might offer.

For District 8: Amy Foster. She wants to focus on creating safer neighborhoods and will target the illegal activity along 34th Street.

End contract to build the Lens: Yes. The Lens design is inconsistent with the historic waterfront and has divided the city. Vote “yes” to stop the Lens.